Turning to custom premium packaging is ideal for a brand to capitalize on its unique identity. This strategy can be achieved by serving multiple market sectors or connecting product values with human values that are conveyed by the packaging. Clearly, premium customers want nice packaging with a touch of personalization. Here's how a brand can do it.
Starting with Brand Identity
Defining brand identity has become the key stepping stone to successful enterprises that reach large markets. A brand encompasses not just products, but ideas and values embedded in them. In order for people to develop loyal support for a brand, the company must be consistent and meaningful in its messages to a defined target market. The entire package sends a message to shoppers, so it must resonate psychologically.
A brand that serves a luxury or elite market must emphasize quality and a high level of delight that someone feels from experiencing the product. The package should treat each shopper as a thoughtful individual who understands good taste. Metal works well as a premium packaging material because of its universal appeal and the common understanding of its strength and protective properties.
So a premium brand cannot afford to cheat by just pretending to be high quality. The concept that people will believe whatever they're told on packaging is simply a myth. Premium customers typically like to feel the package as well as see it. Through the sense of touch, they can get a better barometer on how well the product fits into the world of luxury, usefulness and elegance.
Dividing a Market into Segments
Any market can be divided into multiple segments based on a variety of factors such as demographics, geography and consumer awareness. The more the relationship between the product and its intended customer is well defined, the easier it is to communicate effectively with that segment of the population. By using the right imagery and material, a package can speak directly to a specific individual within a sector.
One way a brand manager can be successful at reaching the elite sector of a market, which encompasses customers who don't mind paying extra for better quality, is to create internal "market personas" through avatars or photos of characters. These personas can then be assigned descriptions that link them to interests in specific products.
Part of tapping into the pool of elite followers involves finding holes in the market that competitors have missed. Taking control of filling market holes is the driving force behind a firm attracting loyal followers willing to reward their favorite brands by paying more.
Premium Customers Expect Personalization
A recent Twilio study found that 62 percent of customers expect their purchasing journeys to be personalized, otherwise they'll move on to other choices. That means premium customers, who view themselves as more in tune with luxury and finesse than the common person, likely put even more emphasis on personalization. One way to achieve this goal is by building email lists of target customers with smartphones and communicating with them periodically.
About half of consumers say personalization will steer them toward loyalty for a brand. Collecting as much personal data on customers, then communicating with them in ways that acknowledge their uniqueness, is the key to building a close bond between brands and followers. Above all, it's important that the packaging design communicates core values that premium customers agree upon. Collecting vast data on a target market allows brand managers to learn about individual opinions that mirror the values of the product.
Appropriate Packaging
Once a brand is developed to mirror a significant sector of the market that craves products beyond conventional standards, it's important to tailor packaging design to fit the values of premium customers. While not everyone who claims to have superior tastes can articulate why they support a premium brand, there are enough educated consumers who can explain precisely what their views are on high quality.
It's common for premium customers to demand packaging that is attractive but not wasteful. Usually the more educated a person is, the more they're aware of how sustainability is the key to both economic and environmental efficiency. While luxury has been traditionally associated with excesses, a more modern view embraces a combination of minimalism and style.
Premium branding requires packaging material that can be reused so that it's not confused as trash. Many premium brands choose metal. Aluminum is a common choice because of its lightweight nature, versatility, durability and shiny appearance.
Connecting with Premium Values
Reaching the market of customers who embrace premium values is challenging because it's necessary to think of this sector as a group of unique individuals. For someone to pay higher prices for special products, they must be convinced by both the product and the packaging that the brand cares about their values.
